Railway-gate



T. M. SPURLOCK AND J. A. SPRAGUE.

RAILWAY GME.

APPLlcAnoN FILED JULY 31.1920.

T. M. SPURLOCK AND L A.y ISPRAGUE.

R-AI-LWAY GATE.

APPLIcArloN FILED zuLY 31.1920.

Patented July 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 maintained substantially in alinement in a UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

THEADOBE lVLjSPURLOCK AND AJAIVIIES'A. SPRAGUE, OF SITKA, ARKANSAS.

RAILWAY-GATE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

VPatented Juiy 5, V1921.

v Application led J'ulyrl, 1920. Serial No. 400,310.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, Ti-rnADonE M. SPUR- Looir and JAMES A. SPRAGUE, citizens of the United States, residing at Sitka, in the county of Sharp and State of Arkansas,have

K from one position to another, together with means for normally maintaining said gate member in one of its positions.`

Another object of the invention is to providel a novel and improved -railway gate comprising two gate members supported for swinging movement and which are normally direction transversely of the trackway, together with mea-ns for moving said gate members in unison into positions at opposite sides of the trackway yand in a direction lengthwise of said trackway.'

'The invention consists iiijthe details of construction and in the combination and arrangement ofthe several parts of our limproved railway y gate whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, lessexpensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

. The novel features of our invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

In order that our invention may be the better understood, wewill now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein :A

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a railway gate embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side elevavation of a portion of the operating mecha! nism, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig'. 2, but looking at the opposite side of the pillar or column which is positioned to one side of the traekway.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, T denotes a trackway having arranged at opposite sides thereof standards or posts 1. Operatively engaged with each of the standards or posts 1 for swinging movement in substantially a horizontal path is a gate member G. The lower portion of each of the gate members G adjacent the coacting standards or posts l is provided with an outstanding rock arm 2 extending in a direction away from the gate member, and operatively connected with one of the rock arms 2 is an elongated link' disposed in a direction longitudinally of the trackway T and which is also operatively engaged with arock arm 4 carried by a shaft 5.

The shaft 5 extends transversely of the trackway and is supported in a manner whereby the rock arm 4 has swinging movement in a vertical path as has also a second rock arm G carried by the opposite end porf 'tion ofthe shaft 5.' `The rock arms 4 and 6 are substantially in parallelism and the free end portion of the second rock arm 6 of the shaft 5 is operatively engaged, as at?, with the lower end portion of a vertically disposed arm 8,-said arm being supported, as will be hereinafter more particularlyV set forth, by the upstanding pillar or column 9 positioned to one side of the trackway T.

Also operatively engaged with the lower end portion ofthe arm 8 is a link 10. The link 10 is operatively engaged with the rock arm 2 ofthe second gatel member. In view of the foregoing it will 'be seen that as the arm 8 is moved upwardly, the gate members G will be swung in one direction 4and upon downward movement thereof, said gate members G will be moved in the opposite idirection.

The pillar or.column 9 is provided substantially midway its length with a longitudinally directed slot 11 through which extends a shank 12 carried by the arm or member 8 whereby said arm or member 8 is capable of movement in a direction longitudinally of the pillar or column 9 and is also capable of swinging movement. A face of the pillar or column 9 in close proximity to the upper end of the slot 11 is provided with an outstanding flange or buffer member 14 with which is adapted to Contact a buffer member 15 carried by the shank 12 whereby the upward movement of the member or arm 8 is limited.

A marginal portion of the arm or member 8 is provided with a rack 16 with which meshes a cam gear 17 formed on tlie end portion of a rock lever 18. The lever 18 is supportedv intermediateY its length forrockpazir of upstanding posts 19. f

Asthe end portion ofthe lever 18 in operative engagement withl the Varm or member 8 swings upwardly said arm or vmember 8 -is also moved upwardly and at theA same .time the upperportion of said arm ormember 8 1s swung 1n a direction awayfrom the lever 18. This swinging movement of the arm or member 8 places under tension a'A coil spring or other retractile member 2O secured atY one end portion to Ythe upper end of therarm or member 8 and atits opposite endV portion to the posts 19 whereby said coil spring or retractile Vmember 20 provides means whereby the arm or member Sis normally maintained at Vthe limit of its inwardmovement. This member or spring also serves to maintain the racks 16 and cam gear 17 inmesh.

Supported intermediateV its ends by the upper end portions vof the posts is a horizontally directed arm 21v having one end portion operatively engaged'byl the links 22 -with the end portion of the lever 18 ref feo mote fromrthe cam gear 17 thereof so that upon elevation of the opposite end portionof said `arm 21, the arm or member 8 will be moved upwardly, resulting in thegatel members G- moving from their normal posi.-

tion to ,a position at opposite sides of the trackway VT and* extending in a direction lengthwise thereof. The normal position of the gate membersG is substantially in alinementin a Adirection transversely of the trackway T.

The arm 21 may be operated in any de-v sired manner butit is preferred. that thesa'me be moved in a direction to raise the arm or member 8 through electrically. operated mechanism Vand Y which mechanismV mayV comprise a movable core 23op`erativelyV en` gaged with the end portion of the arm 21 infr movement in a vertical path between the Y' remote from the links22 and which core co- Y i acts kwith 'ay solenoid 24. VThe solenoid 24 is adaptedl to beenergized bythe-closing ofY a circuitupon'the entrance of a train or the like upon a block arranged in the trackway as is vnow employed in the various block signaling systems.

From` the foregoing` description is Y thought to be obvious that a railway gate constructed in laccordance with Vour invention is particularly well adapted for vuse by reason of theconvenience and facilityw-ith Y which it mayV be assembled and operated,V

and it will also be obvious thatour invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing Yfrom the principles and spirit thereof and Yfor this reason we do not wish to be understood as limittially horizontal path, Vof an arm movablyA supported adjacent said gate: a shank car` ried by said arm, a stationary arm having a slot extending longitudinally thereof and through which the shank of Ytheniovable of both endwiseand-v swinging movement,

`arm is directedvwhereby said arm is capable means for imparting upward movement to thefmovable arm, and means being adapted to return the movable arm toits normal poe sition upon release offsaid firstmeans, andV an operative connection between said arm andthe gates whereby the gates areswung toward each other upon Vmovement of .the

arm in one direction, Vand away from each other upon m'ofement 'ofthe arm 1n the Vopposite direction-LA A Inftestimony 'whereof we hereunto affixY our signatures. I ,Y K n THEADORE M-.SPURLOCK.

f JAMES A. SV'PRAGUEQY 

